The Dark Trials Arc
by Captainof10
Summary: Natsu is prepared to take a risk to help Lucy and face the consequences, but he never knew the consequences would be much more dangerous than an angry Erza, for both him and his most cherished. NatsuxLucy & GrayxJuvia. Maybe others too. Chapter 5 up!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail, this would have been put in before the S-Class Exam.**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

Lucy Heartphilia had a dilemma. And like several of her past dilemmas, this one involved rent. But this wasn't just any rent problem; it was an _overdue_ rent problem. She hadn't been able to pay her rent for two straight months, due to all the money earned on missions going towards town repairs and the like, and the third was approaching fast. She was lucky that the landowner was so merciful and let her off the first two times, but she needed to pay the full price of 210,000 jewels, in two weeks! How could she pull that off? There was no way she'd find a job that would pay that much that wasn't on the S-class mission board! Well, there were, but she wasn't yet confident enough to go without partners and where partners are, there is also split payment. To make matters worse, Erza was just called out specifically on a solo mission (which was really weird), so they couldn't ask her to pick one! She was doomed. Completely and utterly d-

"Hey, Luce! Check this out!"

Lucy was startled out of her thoughts by an excited Natsu waving a mission poster in her face.

"I would if you'd stop waving it around!" she snapped as she snatched it from him to take a look. Her eyes threatened to pop out of her head when she saw a reward of 1 million jewel.

"Natsu! Go put this back on the S-class board!" she yelled at him.

"Hey! I already tried to pull that off once! You think I'd try it again?" he answered with a pout.

"I guess not…" she replied in resignation. _'Actually, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.'_

"C'mon, we know you need the money!"

"Aye!" Happy added from over Natsu's shoulder.

Lucy read the details of the mission.

Capture serial arsonist and protect village from further attacks. Special request: a team of mages, preferably with one or two water or ice mages.

'_Wow, must be a real trouble maker for this high of an award.'_

"Guess we'll have to ask Gray."

"Ask me what?"

Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin as Gray made his presence known directly behind her.

"Don't scare me like that!" yelled Lucy as she punched him in the chest just enough to make it sting, "And put some clothes on!"

"Ah, crap!"

After he redressed himself, Lucy explained the mission to him.

"Hmmm. Sounds good. Okay, I'll go."

"Great!" Suddenly, Lucy got an idea. "I think we should bring Juvia too, just to be safe. Why don't you go invite her?"

"Why don't you do it yourself?"

"Oh, she doesn't like me all that much. I'm sure she'll be happier if you invite her."

"Whatever."

He looked around and found Juvia drinking some tea at the counter. He walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. Juvia turned and jumped at who it was.

"Ah! G-Gray-_sama_! Do you need something? Juvia will do her best to help!" she exclaimed with a flushed, but determined face.

Gray chuckled slightly. She was such a strange girl, yet she could still have charm in her own, weird way.

"We're going on a mission together," he explained while pointing back at Natsu, Happy and Lucy, "You wanna come?"

Juvia froze stiff.

'_Gray_-sama_ is asking Juvia to join them on a mission? This is too good to be true!'_

She glanced behind Gray at Lucy and saw her smile and hold two thumbs up. Juvia's breath caught in her throat.

'_Could Lucy_-san_ be supporting Juvia's love? Oh, Lucy_-san_, Juvia has misjudged you!'_

Juvia's eyes began to fill with tears.

"W-wait! Don't cry! Did I say something wrong?" asked Gray frantically.

"N-no, Gray_-sama_. Juvia is just happy. Juvia would love to go on a mission with Gray_-sama_!" she explained as she wiped her eyes and smiled.

Gray returned the smile.

'_I guess she was feeling lonely or something.'_

He then brought her to the others, where they explained the mission to Juvia and agreed to meet at the train station the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>This is short on purpose. I wanted something long enough to entertain, but short enough to leave you all wanting more! MWAHAHA! Did it work? Anyway, review and tell me what you think! Reviews are always the best motivation!<strong>


	2. The Train Ride

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this each chapter? Well, I don't own Fairy Tail or the song used here.**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

"So we meet again, my greatest foe…" Natsu muttered miserably before suppressing the urge to be sick.

"Seriously, don't get sick just from looking at the train," said Lucy with a sigh. Happy chuckled to himself.

"Juvia's been wondering for a while now, but why does Natsu_-san_ seem to be fine when he goes flying with Happy?" asked Juvia.

Natsu gave Juvia a look that made her flinch. He then looked away again.

"Why are girls so mean? Always comparing Happy to transportation…" he grumbled to himself while ignoring Juvia.

"I got the tickets!" called Gray as he approached the group with five tickets in hand.

"Ugh. Let's get this over with…" groaned Natsu as he took his ticket and boarded the train. Happy went next closely followed by Gray. Lucy saw Juvia still looking stunned by Natsu's reaction.

"Don't worry about it," said Lucy, catching the water mage's attention.

"Apparently Happy doesn't count because he's a _friend_," she explained, though she bitterly recalled them calling _her_ transportation before, "He won't stay mad long. I asked the exact same question when I was getting to know them too."

Juvia smiled.

"Natsu_-san_ is a strange one, hmm?"

Lucy sighed in exasperation.

"_Everyone_ in Fairy Tail is strange…"

"Gray_-sama_ isn't strange!" argued Juvia loudly as the two entered the train.

"Oh, right. I forgot about him!" Lucy said quickly and apologetically. She inwardly took amusement in the fact that Juvia would rather defend that a guy with a _stripping problem_ of all things wasn't strange rather than defend herself.

They reached an open room where they found the guys sitting on opposite sides by the windows. Happy had taken to lying on his belly on the luggage rack above Natsu. Upon entering, Juvia blushed and Lucy groaned.

"Gray, where are your clothes this time?"

"Huh?" said Gray before looking down, "Ah, crap! Where'd they go?"

He leapt up and ran out the door and down the hall. Lucy and Juvia stuck their heads out to watch him checking each room, earning several screams of _"Get out!"_ or _"Kya! Pervert!"_ Lucy sighed in exasperation before noticing how closely Juvia was watching Gray. Lucy grinned at the chance to be the _teaser_ rather than the _teasee_. She leaned in close to Juvia's ear.

"Enjoying the scenery Juvia?"

Much to her disappointment, Juvia responded with eager nods and, "Mm-hm, very much!"

'_Tch, that's no fun.'_

She re-entered the room and sat next to Natsu. She could hear the loud voices of Gray and one of the conductors.

"All aboard!"

"Wait! We can't leave until I find my clothes!"

"How in Fiore did you lose them in the first place?"

Juvia came in and sat opposite to Lucy. The whistle sounded and Natsu's groaning increased in volume, signaling that the train had begun to move. Juvia was starting to worry when the door opened to reveal Gray, who had apparently found his pants, but not his shirt. He mumbled incoherently as he took his seat next to Juvia. They felt the train speed up and Natsu groaned even louder.

"Ugh… This is it guys… I'm going to die in this hell…"

"Natsu, stop exaggerating," huffed Lucy.

"Hey, brain-freeze… I want you to have my vests. They're really easy to put on and off y' know?"

Gray suppressed the urge to punch Natsu, as Fairy Tail mages don't beat someone while they're down.

"Erza, wherever you are… I wish I had lived to give you one clean punch…"

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Lucy, I want you to take my scarf and the things by the wall at my place, since you seem like you'll take care of 'em best. Oh, and please take care of Happy. He still can't open tuna cans by himself yet…"

Lucy felt touched that Natsu would trust her with the most important things to him, but then remembered that he wasn't really dying. She sighed.

"Guess there's no avoiding it," she mumbled as she pulled Natsu down to rest his head on her lap.

"Lucy?"

"Be quiet and try to relax, okay?" ordered Lucy. She began massaging his scalp through his soft, pink hair. She always felt Erza's method of 'helping' him through his suffering was too harsh.

Eventually, Natsu's groaning quieted, but he still looked pained.

"Thanks, Luce… This is the best I've ever felt in a train," he said with a slightly strained smile. Lucy smiled back. She would never tell anyone, but she loved it whenever he called her that. She continued massaging his head while thinking of what else she could do. It was then she noticed the rest of their group was staring at her with knowing grins on their faces.

"W-what?"

"You two are _sooo_ together," teased Happy.

"Be quiet, cat!" yelled Lucy with a slight blush on her face.

"Stop it, Happy," said Natsu seriously, "She gets embarrassed when people point it out."

Lucy's face burst into a cherry color.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wha-?"

Natsu grinned widely.

"Just kidding."

Lucy's blush vanished and was replaced with a glare. Natsu suddenly felt five painful points of pressure on his head.

"Owowow! Okay! I'm sorry!"

Lucy gave a "hmph," and switched back to helping him escape his pain. Then she had an idea.

"Ah! That's perfect!"

She brought out a silver key.

"Open, Gate of the Harp, Lyra!"

A large puff of pinked smoke burst in front of her to reveal Lyra with her harp.

"Hi Lucy_-chan_! What would you like to hear today?"

"Could you play a lullaby for Natsu to make him tired?"

"What am I a baby?" Natsu interjected before Lucy pinched his cheek hard shut him up.

"I have just the thing! I heard the most awesome lullaby on television the other day!"

"Television?" everyone asked in unison.

"Spirit World thing, don't worry about it," Lyra explained as she prepared to sing, "Oh, before I forget, this song is called _Tsunaida Te ni Kiss wo_ from D. Grayman! That means I don't own it! Got it? This is a disclaimer! I can't be sued!"

"Yes, Lyra, whatever you say…" Lucy said despite not having a clue of what she was talking about.

"It's supposed to be played on piano, but it's still beautiful on the harp, so here goes!"

With that she began to play.

_So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._

_Surfaces numerous of your faces_

_A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth_

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling, the shining you was born_

_Across millions of years, the prayers have already returned back to the earth_

_I will still continue to pray_

_Please bestow upon this child your love_

_Upon our joined hands, leave a gentle kiss_

_So the little infant fell into a deep sleep._

_Among the grey ashes in the flames shining...First one, then two..._

_Surfaces numerous of your faces_

_A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth_

_On the night when the silver eyes were trembling, the shining you was born_

_Across millions of years, the prayers have already returned back to the earth_

_I will still continue to pray_

_Please bestow upon this child your love_

_Upon our joined hands, leave a gentle kiss_

_I will still continue to pray_

_Please bestow upon this child your love_

_Upon our joined hands, leave a gentle kiss…_

…

"How was that, Lucy_-chan_?"

"That was wonderful Lyra! What do you think Natsu?"

Lucy looked down only to discover that he had fallen fast asleep, looking perfectly comfortable.

"That was fast. I thought it'd take at least another two songs…"

When she looked up, her face suddenly showed surprise before she broke into a playful grin.

"Hey Gray, what's that on your shoulder?" she asked innocently.

"C-can't you tell?" Gray stuttered in response as he looked away with a light blush on his cheeks, "I-i-it's Juvia, duh!"

Indeed, Juvia had also fallen fast asleep and slumped over on Gray's shoulder in the process.

"Awww, that's so cute! Should I sing a love song next?" squealed Lyra in excitement.

"No!" objected Gray still quite visibly embarrassed.

"Oh, come on Gray. You sound like your not enjoying have a girl rest on your shoulders," said Lucy teasingly. She was enjoying this.

"I _am_ enjoying it, but that's also what makes it so weird and uncomfortable!"

Suddenly, any hope Gray had of moving her off him without waking her was crushed as she turned toward him in her sleep and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

"Gah! I can't take this anymore!"

Gray made a move to pry Juvia off him when she made a noise.

"…ay_-sam_…"

Everyone got quiet in order to hear what she was saying.

"Thank you, Gray_-sama_, for showing Juvia the sky…"

…

Gray's arms shook a bit before he brought them down to rest on his legs, resigning himself at last to being Juvia's pillow. Lyra and Lucy shared knowing smiles before Lyra began to sing another song. Lucy sat back and relaxed, continuing to subconsciously massage Natsu's scalp until she drifted into sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Not much plot here, but I thought I'd put in some fluff before I got into the mission. Anyway, if you liked it, click the review button and tell me why! If you'd didn't, still click the review button and tell me why, but do it intelligently! That means no "HERP DERP, FT SUX! dX". Any such reviews will be deleted as well as reported as abuse, so don't bother wasting both of our time. Everyone else, enjoy!<strong>


	3. The Briefing

**Disclaimer: I wish everyone would stop thinking I own Fairy Tail! What? They don't? Oh right, they have brains.**

**I had to make this chapter to set up the plot, but I tried to making as not boring as possible. Don't worry, the next chapter is the mission!**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials**

Natsu woke with a start as the train slowed to a stop with a screech.

"_We are now arriving in Halsca Village. Please do not forget your belongings on the way out._"

"FREEEEEEDOOOM!" shouted Natsu as he jumped up in exhilaration and he recognized their destination. The rest of his team began to stir themselves awake. Juvia soon noticed that she was clinging to Gray and hastily removed herself while spouting apologies.

"Ah! Please forgive Juvia, Gray-sama! Juvia did not know what she was doing!"

Gray rubbed his eyes as he responded.

"It's no problem. It's not as if it was entirely unpleasant."

Juvia's mind raced into overload.

'_Gray_-sama_ thought Juvia sleeping on him was pleasant?'_

After her face turned a deep shade of red that greatly contrasted with her hair, she promptly fainted.

"Juvia? Hello?" Gray futilely attempted to wake her in confusion.

"Looks like you'll have to carry her," said Lucy with a yawn.

"Huh? Why me?"

"You were the last person to speak to her, so obviously_ you_ made her faint."

Gray sighed as he tossed one of Juvia's arms around his shoulders and pulled her up, making sure to support her waist.

"Where's Natsu?" he asked as he noticed the dragon slayer's absence.

"He took off with Happy, probably eager to get off."

They did in fact find Natsu outside taking deep breaths of fresh air, a sleepy Happy hanging on his shoulder. Lucy pulled out the job poster.

"Okay, let's get down to business, the poster says to meet with the Mayor to get the details."

They asked a villager that was setting up shop for directions to the Mayor's office and thanked him before continuing on. As they approached the large, three story building, Natsu waltzed right in and began shouting his head off.

"YO! MAYOR DUDE! WE'RE HERE TO TAKE YOUR REQUEST!"

Lucy sighed.

"Don't you have any manners to at least use with clients?"

"Don't worry about it, Luce. As long as you're energetic about your job, the clients will be happy."

"Quite true, young man! Quite true!" boomed a cheery voice from the side of the room. They all looked to see a semi-bald man with bright white hair around his ears and the back of his head sitting at a desk. He also had a very short mustache/beard on his face. He looked to be tall and lean, which they realized to be true as he stood up.

"Thank you very much for taking up my request. I was beginning to worry that no one would show up," he said politely.

"Your request? I thought the Mayor requested this job?" wondered Lucy aloud. The man chuckled.

"My dear, I _am_ the Mayor."

"EH?"

The group blanked in confusion. Why would the Mayor put his desk in the lobby? The Mayor laughed again.

"You see, it's much easier to find out what people are like when they don't know I'm seeing them yet. You'd be surprise at how many deals I've turned down due to discovering ulterior motives this way. Seeing everyone's reactions when they find out I'm the Mayor is also a bonus!"

"Hey, you're pretty smart, Mayor Dude!" said Natsu with a laugh.

"I would hope so! I didn't get where I am by roll of the dice!" exclaimed the Mayor jovially, "But we have important matter to discuss. This arsonist has been causing us much worry."

"Exactly how many attacks have there been?" asked Lucy.

"There have been 5 to date."

"That's crazy… Has there been any pattern, like in location or time?" Gray inquired.

"The times have been completely unpredictable. After the first, two weeks went by and we had almost forgotten it. Then the next attack was made and we began to grow concerned. But the real trouble began that same day after we had dealt with it. Later that day, another attack was made. After that, we realized the time span could vary terrifically, making it nigh impossible to predict further attacks. We've been on edge ever since. The only pattern we've seen is a blessing: only the nearby forest has been set aflame, so no one has been hurt. But the forest is mostly burned down; it will not be long before the fires reach town."

"You said you had 'dealt' with it, what did you guys do? If you're requesting water and ice mages, then you must not have your own," observed Natsu, who had become very serious all of a sudden.

"Well, we have not had any trouble at all with fires in the past…"

'_This must be Natsu's first visit here,'_ thought Lucy in a moment of amusement.

"…all we were able to do is form barriers around the fire to keep it from spreading and wait for it to burn out. I did not send in militia to search for the criminal prior to requesting help, because I'm certain it is a very dangerous individual that is to blame."

"What makes you so sure?" asked Happy. The Mayor raised a brow at the talking cat but answered anyway.

"For one, the flames decimated our forests more than any normal fire would. But what makes me certain, is that our mages reported that the fire was black in color."

"Black?" Gray voiced the wonder in everyone's minds. It grew silent as the mages thought deeply.

…

"Blech. I bet it tastes nasty, like pure pepper or black licorice," said Natsu. Lucy gawked.

"_That's_ what you're worried about?"

"Aye!"

The Mayor watched this exchange in confusion.

"I don't understand; what does he mean by 'taste'?"

"Oh, Natsu is Fairy Tail's Salamander. He can eat fire," explained Lucy as Natsu beamed in pride.

"Excellent! This may even be better than water or ice mages!"

"May? I'm more useful than this idiot whose brain has freezer burn any day!" claimed Natsu while pointing a thumb at Gray.

"Huh? Well, your brain is so boiled, it's nothing but hot steam floating around in your head!"

"What?"

"Oh my, what terrible behavior," said Lucy in a sing-song voice and an innocent yet scary smile on her face, "I'm afraid I'll have to report this to Erza when we get back."

"W-w-w-what you talkin' bout, Luce? We're gettin' along just fine," said Natsu with a terrified smile as he ruffled Gray's hair.

"Y-yeah! Everyone knows how much we like to kid around!" agreed Gray with a cold sweat forming on his face. The Mayor laughed with gusto.

"My my, this generation's youngsters are even more lively than they were in my day," he said as he turned to look at a clock on the wall. He then fetched a letter and handed it to Natsu.

"Well, it is getting late. If you give this letter to an employee of the first inn you see after turning right from here, they will provide you with food and rooms. I'll have someone escort you to the area of the most recent fire in the morning."

"You don't need to supply us with anything!" said Lucy hurriedly.

"Yeah, we don't want to take advantage just because we're doing a job for you," agreed Natsu. The Mayor smiled.

"This village needs you in top shape tomorrow, so consider this part of your mission."

"Thanks, but Fairy Tail doesn't accept anything from their clients except what's on the posters. We can finish this part of the mission with our own money. That's just how we work," said Natsu with a wide grin.

"Youngsters these days are even more stubborn as well. Fine, do as you wish."

"Thanks for the offer, though! We'll talk later Mr. Mayor!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Mr. Mayor is too stiff… Please, call me Kurt."

* * *

><p>"I really like that Kurn guy. He's cool!" said Natsu loudly as they walked upstairs to the rooms of their inn. They had just finished eating and filling Juvia in on what she had missed.<p>

"Then you should at least get his name right!" scolded Lucy, remembering in annoyance when he used to call her Luigi. Natsu reached the door to the room he and Happy were supposed to share with Gray and scowled. He looked at the ice mage only to find him scowling back. He was about to give him a piece of his mind when Lucy interrupted.

"If I so much as hear you guys call each other stupid, I'll tell Erza you were fighting in front of the client."

The two gave her fake cheerful smiles that, quite honestly, freaked her out. She sighed as she opened the door and bade them good night, Juvia following her and doing the same right after, though taking slightly longer when talking to Gray. Lucy flung herself lazily onto her bed, letting out a long sigh at its comfort. Juvia walked to her bed and sat on it so she was facing Lucy.

"Lucy_-san_? Juvia has a question."

"I'm listening," said Lucy as she closed her eyes.

"Was Lucy_-san_ really never into Gray_-sama_?"

"Nah. There was one time when Mira said she thought he liked me, but I dismissed it because she said the same thing about Natsu."

"What happened with Natsu_-san_?"

Lucy frowned, her eyes still closed.

"I got my hopes up and he crushed them with his idiocy."

"So… Lucy_-san_ still likes Natsu_-san_?"

At this, Lucy's eyes snapped open and she jerked up to a sitting position, staring Juvia in the eyes with a blush on her cheeks.

"W-w-where did you get that idea? I never said that!"

"But Lucy_-san_ is blushing."

"W-well, I have felt a little under the weather lately," said Lucy nervously before faking a series of coughs. Juvia scowled.

"Juvia isn't a fool. Juvia knows the difference between the sick blush and the doki-doki blush! Juvia sees the doki-doki blush everyday in the mirror while fantasizing about Gray_-sama_!"

'_Okay, too much information girl,'_ thought Lucy with a shudder.

"Listen Juvia, I-I-I don't-"

"And the stutter! Juvia knows all the secrets of the stutter! She's very experienced with them!"

Lucy lost her patience and leapt her feet.

"Listen Juvia, there is no way I still like him! He's dorky, and childish, and sweet, and handsome, and-"

…

"Oh my god… I can't believe I still like him…" Lucy groaned as she fell back into her bed, covering her face with her hands. Juvia beamed.

"Great! Now that Lucy_-san_ knows that she likes Natsu_-san_, Lucy_-san_ and Juvia can support each other's love!"

Lucy tiredly peeked out from behind her fingers.

"Huh?"

"Lucy_-san_ can support Juvia's love for Gray_-sama_, and Juvia will support Lucy_-san_'s love for Natsu_-san_! It's perfect!"

"Okay, fine. Whatever…" droned Lucy as she let her arms fall to her sides.

"Yes! Juvia's love rival has become her love ally!" Juvia squealed in excitement.

Lucy couldn't help but break into a smile at the strange girl that was slowly becoming an even closer friend.

* * *

><p>As Natsu lay in bed in the dark with Happy fast asleep by his side, he wondered why he was so bothered by the whole 'black fire' detail. He had eaten blue fire that was cold. Macao used purple fire that was solid. Why was it so disturbing to think that there was someone that used black fire? He groaned. He really needed to think about something else if he was to get to sleep. He was wondering about what could occupy him when he remembered a thought he'd had once.<p>

"Hey, Gray. You awake?"

"I wish I weren't, but yeah."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"What do you think of Juvia?"

Gray's brows rose at the random question, though in the darkness, Natsu had no way of knowing.

"Umm... She's nice, pretty, a little strange sometimes, but that makes her funny and cute in a way. Why?"

"Well, I just have this inkling feeling that she likes you."

"W-what? Why would you say that? She has no reason to like me!" sputtered Gray, though as he did he thought back to what he'd heard on the train.

"_Thank you, Gray_-sama_, for showing me the sky."_

"Yeah, I know," answered Natsu, unaware of his roommate's thoughts, "But, for some reason, I trust this feeling more than I trust such concrete logic."

Gray growled in annoyance. Natsu continued.

"I think if there's the slightest chance that I'm right, you should go for it."

"Wait, why are _you_ trying to be matchmaker?"

"Think about it. I mean, the odds of _you_ meeting a girl that likes you for no reason are astronomically small! You need to take this once in a lifetime chance!" explained Natsu, copying a phrase Lucy had used before even though he had no clue what 'astronomically' meant.

"If you're trying to encourage me, you're doing one helluva job…" growled Gray with a scowl.

"Anytime man."

"But by that same logic, shouldn't you grab Lucy and hang onto her for dear life?"

Natsu laughed.

"You're kidding right? No way she'd be into me. She's outta my league and I drive her up the wall."

"And yet the heavens bestowed upon you a miracle," teased Gray with a smirk, "If you have an _inkling_ of a feeling about Juvia, then I'm dead certain about Lucy."

"So? I can't trust that thing you call a brain."

"You bastard, I'm trying to-"

Gray was cut off by a loud snore.

'_I swear, I am going to _KILL_ that guy one day…'_ he thought as he returned to trying to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Huzzah! This long chapter is finished! Now, please click the review button as it is also this story's life support!<strong>


	4. Disaster Strikes

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is too awesome for a mere mortal like me to own.**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

Early the next morning, Kurt had a guide sent to the group as he promised. They were led to a certain point of the forest when the guide said they had arrived. They suddenly found them selves in a huge clearing, where an ominous sight awaited them. Lucy gasped and everyone else was rendered speechless. In the great distance there were large mountains that loomed over the land. But that wasn't the horrifying part. Between the mountains and where they stood, were nothing but miles upon miles of grey. Lucy bent over to touch the substance. She scooped up a handful and let it run through her fingers.

"I knew it," she said quietly, "All of this, every last bit, is nothing but ash…"

"Dammit…" muttered Gray, "There aren't even sticks or remains of tree trunks. It's so deep that it feels like sand."

"Juvia thinks it looks…grotesque," added Juvia.

"This is as far as I go."

Everyone except Natsu turned to look at their guide.

"I can't afford to continue a mission as dangerous as this. I have a family I need to provide for. I can only pray for your safety."

"Got it. We'll take it from here then," answered Gray. As he turned back to his teammates, he noticed Natsu was shaking.

"Hey Natsu, are you-"

"I'm fine. Let's get going," Natsu interrupted as he stomped ahead. He was outraged. He thought back to the forest he had lived in with Igneel. This forest could easily mean as much to someone else what that forest meant to him. Even worse, the amount of life that had been consumed with the forest was unimaginable. What could drive someone to this level of destruction? Not only that, but the hair on his arms and neck had stood on end the moment his feet touched the ash, as if his instincts were sounding an alarm.

"Is there any chance you can track down the scent of the person?"

Lucy's question brought him back to earth.

"Nah. I can barely smell you guys with so much ash around. It covers up almost everything else."

"Then I guess the only thing to do is go forward and keep an eye out for anything that sticks out," said Gray.

* * *

><p>Natsu growled. They had been walking for an hour and a half, and the only indication that they had moved at all was that the forest behind them looked smaller.<p>

"Dammit! Where's that bastard?" he yelled aloud in fury.

"Natsu, I know you're angry, we all are, but if you don't calm down, you're going to miss things you wouldn't otherwise. Your senses are the best of all of us, so we need you to focus!" lectured Lucy.

Natsu grit his teeth and sighed. He knew Lucy was right. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and sure enough, he noticed that the ash here was warmer than back at the edge. Wait… was it getting warmer still?

"Everyone, _move_!"

He grabbed Happy and Lucy, who were on either side of him, and leapt forward. Gray and Juvia both jumped backwards. Not a moment later, a pillar of black flame erupted from the spot the group had just been standing. The pillar continued to burn for a few moments before thinning into nothingness, revealing a hole in the ground. Suddenly, a form crash-landed on the ground, sending up a cloud of ash. Presumably it had burst from the ground with the flames. As the cloud dissipated, a man appeared. He was about Natsu's age, but looked older from his appearance. He had black shaggy hair that barely reached below his neck. He had very dark purple eyes that appeared to be bloodshot and had such dark bags underneath them that he might have been wearing makeup. He wore a black jacket with the sleeves missing, apparently ripped off at the shoulders. This allowed his deeply tanned, muscular arms to show. His pants were black jeans with one side missing everything below the knee. Surprisingly, he was completely bare-foot. However, none of these details were what imprinted themselves into the group's minds. It was the smile, if one could even call it that. Lucy might have compared it to Natsu's, if it wasn't so… feral. It made her feel as if he would eat someone alive. She swallowed hard. The strange man looked between the two groups.

"So, intruders on my territory?" he snarled to himself, still smiling his dangerous smile. He looked between the groups again, this time specifically at Juvia, and then Lucy. "Oh? Could these be gifts? Perhaps to persuade me to stop my expansion?"

Lucy shuddered in fear under his gaze. Suddenly, she felt a gust from rapid movement off to her side. Natsu had leapt at him. As he came within reach of him, Natsu grabbed the man's face and slammed it backwards to the ground.

"I've got your persuasion right _here_ you sick _bastard_!" Natsu roared as he raised his other fist, wrapped in flames to pulverize the criminal. As he brought it down, the man grabbed his wrist and flung Natsu's attack off course. He then lurched into a standing position, forcing back Natsu's arm that still had hold of his face. As Natsu was thrown off balance, the man knocked away his arm and grabbed _him_ by the face and reversed their previous positions.

"I don't know who you are," growled the man. His smile was still present, but his eyes showed fury, "but you have a lot of nerve to call me a bastard!"

To everyone's surprise, the man raised his other fist, wrapped in black flames like Natsu did with his magic. Before he brought it down however, he felt something wrap around his wrist, holding him back. He looked at his wrist to find that there was a long whip that led back to the blonde girl. Lucy smirked despite her fear.

'_Stupid girl,'_ thought the man, _'I can simply burn something like this.'_

He lit his entire arm on fire in attempt to burn the whip, only to find that he couldn't. He then noticed it was made of solid water (not ice) with countless bright specs inside.

"Nice try, but this whip is the River of Stars! It's made of a constellation, something that's impossible to burn or destroy!" Lucy explained triumphantly.

"Fine," huffed the man, "I'll just use it against you then!"

He gave a tremendous tug on the whip, one that should have sent Lucy flying, but she stood her ground.

"Sorry, but I can change this whip's length at will! That means I can lengthen it so it's not tight enough for you to throw me! Now, let's see what happens when _I_ pull it!"

With that, Lucy tugged hard with her right hand. The man suddenly felt tremendous force pulling him towards Lucy. He was baffled before he looked at the whip.

'_She's rapidly shortening it to greatly increase the force of the pull!'_ he realized.

As he flew towards Lucy, she used her free hand to grab her keys.

"Open the Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"

With a puff of smoke and flash of light, the powerful cow spirit appeared before her.

"Mooooooo! I will protect Lucy's amazing body!" he roared as Lucy rolled her eyes, "_Rampage!_"

Taurus swung down his axe with great force and smashed it through the ash and into the earth, causing large rocks to be sent flying towards the group's foe. However, the man merely smirked.

"You think such weak moves will beat me?"

He inhaled deeply, and the group immediately recognized the movement.

'_Is that… a dragon's breath technique?'_ thought Natsu.

Surely enough, the man spewed powerful black flames that easily crushed the rocks in its path. Lucy, who recognized the technique and thus the danger, leapt out of the path of the attack, but Taurus wasn't so lucky. He cried out in pain as he was engulfed in the blast before vanishing back to his world. Lucy would have called out to him, but the man was still coming straight at her. She tried to unravel her whip from his wrist to get away, but the man grabbed it, smirking as he thought he caught her.

"_Ice Make… Cannon!_"

The man felt a large sphere of ice crash into his gut, knocking the wind out of him and giving Lucy the opportunity she needed to pull her whip out of his grip. The man glared at Gray with malice. He set his fists aflame and crashed them into each other, creating a large sphere of black fire, which he tossed at Gray. Gray moved to dodge, but knew he wouldn't make it since the technique had a wide area of attack. He suddenly felt himself propelled from behind, speeding him up in time to dodge. He checked himself to find himself dripping wet.

"Thanks Juvia! I owe you one!" he called with a grin. Juvia smiled with such bashfulness that it confused Gray, but he decided to ask her about it later. He needed to focus on figuring out how to beat this guy.

The man growled angrily at facing two of his least favorite types of opponents. He smelled someone above him and dodged before Natsu's fist crashed into the ground.

"Bastard! You just keep getting more annoying! What do you think you're doing copying my moves?" he yelled.

"Why would I copy _you_? Stupid cotton candy head."

'_Oh, he did NOT just go there!'_ seethed Natsu in his mind.

"THAT'S _IT_! I'M GOING TO FREAKIN' SKIN YOU ALIVE!" roared Natsu.

During this exchange, Gray thanked his lucky stars that he had _never_ thought to insult Natsu with his hair color. He made his way towards Juvia as Natsu and the man began to dodge each other's attacks.

"Juvia! I have an idea!"

Juvia snapped out of concentrating her next move.

"Yes, Gray_-sama_?"

"This guy's magic is too dangerous to drag out the battle," he explained while looking at the ash around him, also noticing that Lucy had pulled out Sagittarius to back up Natsu from a distance, "I have a plan to finish this in a single strike, so hear me out…"

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, causing her to blush brightly while she listened to his plan. Meanwhile, the man simultaneously dodged an arrow from Sagittarius and a kick from Natsu before grabbing Natsu's leg and chucking him into Sagittarius. He grinned as he prepared a finishing blow, but stopped as he heard a chorus of…

"_Unison Raid, Combo-style!_"

He turned to see Gray and Juvia holding hands as they combined their magic, pointing their free hands out at him.

"_Giant Water Lock!_" called Juvia.

Out of nowhere, an enormous amount of water surrounded the man with him in the center of the gigantic orb.

'_Tch, they think I can't simply evaporate this much water?'_ thought the man as he began to heat up his body. However, at Gray's next words, he froze.

No, seriously, he froze.

"_Ice Make… Globe!_"

In the blink of an eye, the entire orb became solid ice, complete with carved borders of all the world's countries. Gray and Juvia collapsed against each other breathing heavily, having poured every ounce of their magic into the combo. Coincidently, they let their foreheads rest against each other. Gray smirked.

"Do we make an awesome team or what?"

Juvia finally realized how close their faces were and had she had anymore magic, she would have melted all over him. However, she didn't, so she could only turn bright red and struggle in vain to form speech.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-"

Her struggles were interrupted as Natsu pulled at Gray's ear.

"OW! What's the big idea?"

"What do you think you're doing, ice freak?"

"Wha-? I'm finishing the mission, flame brain!"

"Not that! I'm talking about you getting all kissy-kissy with your girlfriend!"

"W-w-w-what?" spluttered Gray. It was then that he noticed that despite the furious tone and expression, Natsu's eyes were dancing with mirth. Horror spread across Gray's face as he realized where this was going. The entire conversation had captured Juvia's attention.

"I don't need to see you sucking some unfortunate girl's face off!"

Gray blushed enough to match Juvia.

"That's not what was happening!"

"Oh please. You can't tell me you were _that_ close and weren't planning on shoving your tongue down her throat!"

"I can and I will! Nothing was happening or going to happen!"

"Come _on_! You might as well have given her a hickey to mark her as yours!"

At this point, blood was rushing through Juvia's head so fast that her vision was blurring and the landscape was spinning.

"I mean, you didn't even deny it when I called her your gir-"

_POW!_

"You wanna fight, you got it, pointy eyes!"

"Bring it, droopy eyes!"

"ENOUGH!"

Both boys turned to the blonde that had just shouted after sending Sagittarius away. Sure, Lucy enjoyed watching Natsu completely embarrass two of her friends, (though she wondered how on Earthland he knew about those activities or even the word 'hickey') but she drew the line at fighting.

"Are you two going to make me repeat myself?" she asked threateningly.

"Aye, sir! I mean… no, sir!" chirped Natsu in fear. Gray shook his head vigorously.

Lucy sighed at the all too obvious act. Suddenly, Natsu heard a faint sound.

_ssssssssssssssssssssssss…_

"What's that sound?"

"What sound, Natsu? I don't hear anything."

_sssssssssssssssssssssssss…_

"Perhaps Natsu_-san_ is imagining things?"

"No, wait, I hear it now too."

_ssssssssssssssssssssssssss…_

They group's spirit dropped as realization hit them.

"It can't be…"

_SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS…_

The mages turned just in time to see a large crack appear in the globe that Gray and Juvia had created. The crack grew larger and larger until it covered the entire sphere.

_KRASSSHHHH!_

Ice shards flew everywhere and the man fell to the ground.

"Phew, that was close. I wasn't sure I had the magic to break free from a Unison Raid," he muttered to himself. He then looked at Juvia.

"You will be first."

He abruptly unleashed a large breath of black fire at Juvia. Juvia felt as if time slowed. She realized that because she was still on the ground and exhausted of her magic, she could not dodge or turn herself to water. She realized that her friends were caught by surprise and could not move her in time. She realized there was no escaping, and the fire that could reduce a forest to this would most likely kill her. She sadly realized her life with Fairy Tail, her beloved family, and Gray, her love that had changed her life, would come to an end all too soon. And so, she closed her eyes as she felt death embrace her.

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><p><strong>Aaaaand, cliffhanger! Mwahaha! Any guesses as to what happens next? Review and tell me what you think!<strong>


	5. Guilty Rage

**I know this chapter is shorter rather than longer, like the pattern would have you expect, but some chapters just need to be so long (or short) before they serve their purpose. With that, I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Only the lunatic currently called "the man".**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

It was strange. There was heat, yet no pain. She was sure she felt death take hold of her, yet she found it comforting. She opened her eyes, only to see a familiar chest.

"There. Now we're even," a weak voice said.

She gasped as she looked up into the smiling face of her savior.

"Gray?"

Gray laughed quietly.

"So you finally dropped that silly honorific? I'm… glad…" he murmured as he collapsed against her. Juvia's breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of Gray's back. It was badly burned, even to the point of being unrecognizable.

"Gray… Why would you do this for Juvia?" she almost whispered as she pushed him upright, but Gray had gone totally limp and silent.

"Gray… Wake up… Speak to Juvia! Please wake up! _Gray_!" Juvia broke into uncontrollable tears as she called his name. Natsu rushed to Gray's side and checked his wrist for a pulse.

"Calm down, Juvia! He's still alive, but we need to get him treated now!" he assured as the water mage took in this information, "Happy! I need you to take Gray back to town as fast as you can possibly fly!"

"Aye!" agreed the cat who had until now been on standby. He brought out his wings and scooped up Gray before high-tailing it back to town. As Juvia watched them leave, she was overwhelmed by the fatigue from her emotional and magical stress and fell out cold.

"Juvia!" Lucy called in worry.

"She's okay, just tired," said Natsu, "Lucy, I need you to take Juvia back to town. She'll be in the way here."

"What? You expect me to leave you here with that monster after seeing what he did to Gray?"

"It's because of what he did to Gray to I need you two to leave! I'm best suited to fight him! He can't burn me! But I can't fight freely if I'm worried about your safety!"

"So it's okay for me to be worried about your safety, but not for you to worry about me?" screamed Lucy, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him roughly, "You're my best friend in the whole world! How do you expect me to run away and leave you alone?"

Natsu paused for a moment.

"Thank you, Luce," he said quietly as he hugged her. Lucy sighed and relaxed, thinking she had convinced him.

"And… I'm sorry."

Before Lucy could wonder about his words, she felt a blow to her neck before everything went black. Natsu caught her limp form before she fell.

"This is all my fault. I have to fix it on my own."

He then looked at Lucy's keys.

"Come out, Loke. I know you can hear me."

With a puff of smoke, his old friend appeared before him. He was angry with Natsu for hitting Lucy, though he knew that if their roles were reversed, he'd have done the same.

"You want me to take the girls back to town, yes?"

Natsu nodded.

"Do what you will," said Loke, "But don't you dare die. My skills lay in picking up girls, not comforting them."

With that, he placed Lucy over his right shoulder and Juvia under his left arm before taking off at full speed.

Natsu turned back to the man, who began laughing hysterically.

"Brilliant! Just brilliant! Two men sacrificing themselves for their women, only for them to be taken later as prizes! I have to say the mushy stuff was annoying, but seeing you knock out your own woman made it so worth it!"

But Natsu wasn't listening.

"It's my fault."

"Eh?"

"It's all my fault. I'm the one who picked an S-class mission without telling anyone. No one should be killed because of my reckless idiocy."

Natsu finally looked at the man in the eyes.

"Who exactly are you?"

The man smirked.

"I'm Ragnus, the Hellfire Dragon Slayer."

"Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer. I hope you like traveling Ragnus…"

In an instant, Natsu's body exploded and wrapped itself with searing flames.

"_**Because I'm about to guide you through ten ways to hell and back!"**_

Using an explosion from his feet to propel himself forward, Natsu charged at Ragnus, who stepped back in surprise.

'_He's fast!'_

Natsu slammed his elbow into Ragnus's face, sending him flying. But Natsu didn't stop there; he used more explosions to send himself after Ragnus again. When he caught up, he delivered an uppercut to send him flying skyward. Natsu chased after him again, sending Ragnus flying in every direction while using explosions to continue his assault. He soon felt himself rapidly running out of magic.

'_Dammit, I have to finish this __**now**__!'_

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fists!"

He struck Ragnus with both fists, one to the face and one to the gut. He then continued his attacks.

"Fire Dragon's Claw! Fire Dragon's Wing Attack! Fire Dragon's Sword Horn! Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

Natsu sent a fiery kick to Ragnus's midsection and then ignited whip-like flames from his arms. He crashed them both into Ragnus before creating a large horn of fire to ram him with, sending him higher into the sky. He then swiped at him with claws of fire to send him flying even higher. Afterwards, he boosted himself above Ragnus.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art Combo! Flame Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist and Exploding Flame Blade!"

Natsu powered up the fire around his hands and unleashed a destructive barrage of punches into the Hellfire Dragon Slayer. When he finished, fire blades extended from his hands and he rapidly spun his body to deliver several punishing blows to his foe. He finished by smashing both blades into him simultaneously and sending him plummeting. He then shaped his flames to give himself the appearance of a dragon before chasing after Ragnus one more time.

"Hidden Fire Form! Flame Lotus: Phoenix Blade!"

Natsu delivered a devastating punch to Ragnus's stomach before slamming a head butt to his face, making him fall even faster. The flames Natsu was wrapped in flickered out as his magic reached its limit. He watched Ragnus crash to the ground as he also began to fall. After seeing no movement, he guessed that it was over.

Until…

"IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT, NATSU DRAGNEEL?"

Natsu growled.

'_I've already used more magic than I thought I had. There's no avoiding it; I only have one choice. I'll lose a year or two, but…'_

Natsu concentrated to pull apart a piece of his life energy. As he converted it to magic, his body began to glow and every inch of his skin became dark red scales. He inhaled deeply.

"Dragon Slayer's Forbidden Art! Fire Dragon's Sacred Roar!"

As he exhaled, white-hot flames exploded from his mouth, growing larger and larger as they descended. When they hit the ground, a blinding light flashed before Natsu heard the deafening explosion. As the smoke cleared, Natsu gained sight of a deep hole where the blast had struck and was thankful that the recoil of the blast kept him from falling in. He hit the ground feet first, and his legs cried out in pain as they barely kept from breaking. He collapsed to a sitting position as he tried to catch his breath. After a while, his scales turned back into skin and he got up with the intention of heading back to town.

"Phew. That hit the spot. I've never tasted such rich flames!"

Natsu froze as he heard the voice. He turned toward the hole and saw Ragnus in front of it, bruised and bloody, yet stretching his legs as if warming up.

'_Shit! Of course he would eat it. How could I be so careless?'_

Natsu clenched his teeth in frustration as Ragnus stopped stretching.

'_That was close,'_ thought Ragnus, _'That shout took everything I had left. If the bluff hadn't worked, I'd be toast. Now for some payback.'_

"Hey, Fire Dragon, I've always wondered what my flames would taste like. Would you mind taking a sample and telling me?" he asked with a grin.

Natsu was confused. Why would he offer a chance for him to win? Was this a game to him? Whatever the reason, it was his only chance.

"Fine. Give me your best shot!"

"With pleasure!"

Ragnus inhaled and spewed his black flames at Natsu. As they came close, Natsu sucked in the fire, wincing at the taste. He forced them down and proceeded to gag.

"Blech! What the hell! That's disgusting! I'd rather ride 1000 trains than taste that again! Geez, if anything, this is what death tastes like!"

"Funny you should say that, Fire Dragon," sneered Ragnus.

Natsu then realized he hadn't gained any magic back. A moment later, small black flames ignited on different spots on his body, bringing with them intense pain. He gave a startled cry and the flames began to expand.

"What the hell did you do to me?" asked an angry Natsu through the pain.

"Me? I merely breathed fire at you," answered Ragnus with glee.

"Bastard…"

Natsu yelled out in pain as the fire covered his entire body. Eventually, he began bleeding at several points of his body, but he didn't notice as the pain consumed him. He didn't even notice when something heavy crashed to the ground behind him. He did notice, however, that when something hard hit his head, the flames and pain disappeared all at once, just before his world turned dark.

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><p><strong>Reviews always help me write faster! Why, you ask? Because I'm the Review Dragon Slayer! Eating them gets me all revved up! So press the darn button!<strong>


	6. The LONG Chapter

**Geez... I just couldn't find a good place to end this for the longest time, so here's a treat: an extremely long chapter! I hope it doesn't drawl on and on and that it stays entertaining... Hopefully it makes up for last post's short chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Wanna go to bed, so nothing creative this time. I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

Natsu's eyes fluttered open to the view of a wooden ceiling and feel of a bed underneath him. He raised a hand to his aching head. Or he tried, before pain shot through his arm and he put it back down.

'_What the hell happened to me?'_ he thought with a groan.

"So you're awake…"

He froze at the familiar voice and turned to nervously look at his teammate.

"Y-y-y-yo, Erza!" he exclaimed with a forced smile.

"Calm down, Natsu. I wouldn't dream of punishing a comrade who is severely wounded. I'm strict, not cruel," explained the crimson-haired beauty as she relaxed in a chair next to the bed. Natsu immediately relaxed.

"Who're you calling severely wounded?" he said with a frown.

"You couldn't move your arm just now, correct?"

"Yeah, but otherwise I'm just- _YOW_!"

Natsu's body shook with pain as he tried to sit up, causing him to collapse on the bed once more. Now genuinely worried, he tested each limb to find them in the same condition. He grew frustrated and clenched a fist. It was after pain shot down his fingers that he lost it.

"_OW_! WHAT THE HELL? IS MY WHOLE BODY LIKE THIS?"

"Actually, I think your lungs and vocal cords work quite well."

Natsu growled before snorting fire.

"Anyway," Natsu decided to move to more important things, "What happened to me? And why are you here?"

Erza sat up to begin her recollection.

"Well, I guess I should begin at the guild…"

_Flashback_

"_Erza's back!" she heard Macao call to the guild as she entered. Everyone immediately changed what they were doing as to not get scolded. She sighed in amusement as she pulled her luggage in behind her._

"_Welcome back, Erza!" called Mirajane as she approached the knight-mage, "What was your job about?"_

_Erza groaned._

"_Some fan-boy wanted me to pose for photos in a truck-load of outfits," she explained._

"_And it took you three days to reject it?" asked Mira. Erza blushed._

"_Well, when I said I was leaving he said I could keep the outfits when we were done, so…"_

"_Ah."_

'That explains the additional suitcases,' _thought Mira. Erza did a quick scan of the guild for her team._

"_Where is everyone?"_

"_Come to think of it, I haven't seen Natsu, Lucy, or Gray all day."_

"_I know where they are," interjected Gazille, who was happy for a distraction to take his mind off the fact that Levy was currently slaughtering him in poker, a game he thought himself good at, "I heard them talking about this high-paying mission to catch some arsonist. They took Juvia with them, too."_

_Erza and Mira both groaned as they recognized the mission._

"_I may not have a Dragon Slayer's sense of smell, but this reeks of Natsu," said Erza, "Wendy! Charle! You two are coming with me, let's go!"_

_The two tiny mages jumped at the mention of their names and curiously, but quickly, followed Erza out the door._

_As Erza, Wendy, and Charle stepped from the train, the first thing they heard was the clamor of noise coming from a crowd._

"_Please! Help him! He needs a doctor right now!"_

_The trio ran towards the crowd upon hearing the familiar voice. Upon reaching the middle, they saw Happy with a badly burned Gray on his shoulders. The small blue cat looked exhausted._

"_Happy!"_

_Happy turned to the group as they called his name. He relaxed as he saw the familiar faces._

"_Charle… Wendy… Erza… Why are you all…-?"_

_He collapsed from exhaustion in the middle of his question. The group quickly ran to help the two. Wendy picked up Happy while Erza tossed Gray over her shoulder. She then looked around at the people._

"_Please! This girl is a healer! We only need a place for him to rest!"_

_A man she assumed to be the mayor stepped out of the crowd._

"_He can stay at my place! Quick, we must hurry!"_

"_Thank you very much, sir," said Erza politely as she handed Gray to him. She then turned to Wendy._

"_Take good care of Gray and Happy. I need to take Charle with me to take care of things."_

"_Okay!" said Wendy determinedly before running after the mayor._

"_What do you need me for?" asked Charle. She would never admit it, but she really wanted to go look after Happy._

"_I need you to take me to Natsu."_

"_What? How would I know where he is?"_

"_Don't worry. I have a good feeling I know the way," said Erza as she looked up at the far-off flame flying wildly in the sky._

_Erza knew they were getting pretty close. It wasn't long since she saw Loke below carrying Juvia and Lucy back to town. She called to her teammate._

"_Can't you fly faster?"_

"_Easy for you to say! I'm only used to carrying Wendy, and you're a lot heavier than her!"_

"_How rude! Don't make it sound like I'm fat! I'm just older than Wendy! That's it!"_

_The two's bickering was cut off as blinding white flames shot from the sky and caused a deafening explosion as it hit the ground. Searing hot wind swept by them._

'This is Natsu? When did he achieve such power? Even my Fire Empress Armor wouldn't save me from that!'

_As the light faded, they continued onward. Soon, she caught sight of two figures by a large hole from the earlier attack. One was being covered in black fire. She caught a glimpse of pink before it was covered._

"_Dive here, Charle!"_

"_You're really bossy, you know that?" complained the white cat as she turned down into a dive._

"_Drop me once we get to a reasonable height!"_

_When Charle did so, Erza landed right behind Natsu. She then re-quipped a gleaming, pure white katana. She made a quick, hard strike to his head with the back of her blade. The flames immediately scattered, as if fleeing from the blade. As Natsu fell, Erza took in his opponent._

"_Yep, definitely insane."_

"_I could say the same about your guild… uh… Titania, right?" the man replied._

"_That is a title given by the people. My actual name is Erza Scarlet."_

"_Ragnus Dragneel, I'm that guy's brother."_

_Erza felt her jaw drop. She was so shocked she couldn't even stutter. Then Ragnus started laughing._

"_I can't believe you believed that! Hahahaha! I don't look a lick like that cotton candy head!"_

_Erza's eye twitched in anger. This guy _really_ pissed her off somehow._

"_Anyway, babe, what did you do to my flames? Even I can't stop 'em once they're burning something."_

"_First, it's not your business, but this is the blade called Bane of Darkness. It immediately and indiscriminately dispels any evil magic it comes into contact with. Second, call me babe _one more time_ and you'll lose your head faster than I can re-quip."_

"_Oooh, scary. I like that."_

"_On second thought, maybe you'll lose your head just because I feel like it."_

"_Thanks, but no thanks."_

_With that, Ragnus spewed his black fire at her. Erza simply swiped the attack with her blade and it was dispelled, but after the flames vanished, Ragnus was gone._

_End Flashback_

"You mean he got away?" yelled Natsu.

"I'm afraid so."

"Well, what are you doing here? Go out there and look for him!"

"Calm down, Natsu. He makes me angry too, but…"

"I'm not angry; I'm freaking livid! That son of a bitch called Lucy a prize! Like she's an _object_! Oh, and he hurt Gray."

Erza couldn't help but smile at Natsu's natural protectiveness of Lucy, and she wondered how on Earthland the two were still not dating.

'_Oh, right. It's because they're both idiots.'_

"Natsu, even if you were well enough to help us track him down, it's simply too late. It's been two days since I brought you back."

Natsu stopped yelling and looked up at the ceiling in thought.

"No wonder I'm so hungry."

Erza sighed.

"Natsu, I think you need to know what everyone else is doing."

Natsu turned his head and gave her his full attention.

"Wendy is still healing Gray."

Natsu surprise was obvious from his expression, but he kept quiet.

"His burns on his back are not the worst of it. The fire was so hot that his organs were cooked. As you know, Wendy's magic works miracles. Had I not brought her, Gray would have died before I got you back to town. She has been awake this whole time using her magic to keep Gray alive and slowly heal him at the same time. Each time she runs out of magic she eats the air and forces herself to continue. She's exhausted and even shouted at Charle for trying to stop her. Gray woke up some hours after I got back. He's been in pain ever since. Juvia's been trying to keep him distracted while he's awake. She hates to see him in pain, and she blames herself for his condition. They haven't gotten much sleep either. Happy is acting lost and confused because just doesn't know what he can do for anyone. Lucy began bawling her eyes out the moment she woke up. She was convinced you had done something stupid like sacrifice yourself to take him out. She was so sure that she spent hours just listening to your heartbeat to assure herself you were alive."

Natsu could no longer listen. He turned his head away and clenched his teeth, shame filling every bit of his body. Erza stayed quiet for a bit.

"No one seemed to know that this was an S-class mission, so I kept quiet. You need to tell them yourself when you're ready."

Natsu didn't respond, so Erza assumed he understood. He needed to take responsibility for this. No matter how good his intentions could be, his recklessness had caused suffering for his teammates.

Suddenly the door creaked open and Lucy and Happy walked inside.

"Wendy just got Gray to the point where he's stable without her help," Lucy started, "So we took her to bed, and-"

"Natsu!"

The stellar spirit mage was interrupted as the cat noticed his owner turn his head to look at them. Natsu smiled slightly before yelping in pain as a _very_ happy Happy pounced on his arm. Lucy walked to the side of the bed and Happy leapt back to the floor to give them some space.

"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" asked Lucy coldly. Natsu nodded.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

_SMACK_!

Honestly, Natsu had seen that one coming.

"You _stupid moron_! That's not what I'm talking about!"

"I know, Luce. But that's my only regret, and it was necessary."

"Necessary. Right. Of course it was. It's obvious that someone like me needs to be out of the way."

Natsu stared in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Don't you 'Huh?' me! I'm weak! We all know it! In fact, it's ridiculous that I'm on a team with such powerful mages!" she screamed as tears poured down her face, "Well, I won't be in your way anymore! I _quit_!"

_POW_!

Lucy was shocked as she felt her cheek sting. Sure, it was nothing like his normal strength; she didn't even stumble. But to think Natsu would hit her out of anger…

"Who's being the stupid moron _now_, huh?" he roared as he struggled to stand, his body screeching in pain, "Don't you _**ever**_ say that again, got it? Do you really think I would let you just walk away? _Do you_?"

Lucy was still speechless as Natsu sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"Lucy… This was an S-class mission. You were right when you assumed it was one."

Lucy blinked in surprise, but said nothing, so he continued.

"When Gray got hit by that fire, I realized how stupid it was to do what I did. I realized that S-class missions were missions where there's no guarantee that my power can protect everyone. That, and I brought everyone here without them knowing about the true danger we were getting in. If I were to let anyone else get hurt because of me…" he hugged her tighter, "especially you… I don't think I could live with that…"

Lucy felt her anger ebbing away. She knew she should be mad at him for lying, but as he was already feeling this guilty, she found herself unwilling to hurt him anymore. She sighed tiredly as she hugged him back.

"You're still a stupid moron…" she muttered. He gave a small laugh.

"Yeah, I'll try to work on that," he responded quietly as he sensed she was no longer angry. They stood like that for a few seconds, finding themselves oddly comfortable.

"You're _soooo_ together," Happy chimed.

Natsu blushed lightly and rolled his eyes, but Lucy had quite a different reaction. She blushed much more heavily and pushed Natsu away with such force that she effectively launched him back into his bed. Natsu gave a surprised yelp of pain and Lucy began apologizing profusely. Erza bonked the blue cat for interrupting them and sighed heavily.

'_Yes, those two are most definitely idiots.'_

* * *

><p>That night, after Erza and Lucy had gone to bed, Happy asked Natsu something while curling up beside him.<p>

"So, why did you want to take an S-class mission anyway?"

Natsu looked away to hide a blush.

"W-well, Lucy would've been sad if she lost her apartment, so I knew we needed to get a job with good pay…"

"I figured it was something like that. Have you ever considered using _that_?"

"Yeah, I have, but I was sure you'd be against _that_."

"Nah. If it's for Lucy, I'll allow it."

"Thanks, little guy."

"No sweat! Besides, can you imagine how happy she'll be when you tell her?"

"Tell her? I can't do that! If she knew about _that_ she'd be totally against it!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's too kind to allow us to use _that_ for her sake."

"I guess so…"

"Anyway, we'll need to use _that_ as soon as we return."

"Aye!"

* * *

><p>"So, that's it. It's <em>my<em> fault you all have been suffering. And… I'm sorry."

Natsu waited quietly for their reaction. It was two days later, and he had just apologized to the rest of his team after telling them what he did. He looked at the now fully healed Gray first.

"What are you looking at me for?" the ice mage asked, "I already consider every mission I take with you to be life-threatening, so I don't really care."

Natsu smiled at Gray's excuse for forgiving him.

"No, seriously dude. I mean it."

Natsu gave him a glare before turning to Juvia.

"Juvia has no reason to be angry with Natsu_-san_ if G-g-gray forgives him," she said, blushing as she stuttered out Gray's name without honorifics. Natsu sighed with relief. Aside from Lucy, he had thought Juvia'd be the angriest. He then looked at Wendy.

"I'm sure Natsu_-san _had a good reason!" Wendy chirped with a smile. Natsu blushed lightly and smiled back. Lucy, who was off to the side with Erza and Happy, caught Happy looking at her with that knowing grin he always gave her. Lucy ignored him as Natsu looked to Charle.

"Wendy is always passionate about helping people, so I can't really blame you for it," said Charle.

Natsu let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and grinned.

"Thanks, everyone. You're all awesome. Well, awesome plus one…"

"Hey!" snapped Gray.

"What? I didn't name names," said Natsu innocently.

"Gray, you shouldn't raise your voice at someone whom is bedridden," scolded Erza, "Now, let's leave Wendy to start Natsu's treatment. In the meantime…"

Erza's body shone with light for a moment before she reappeared in a chef's outfit, complete with an apron, hat, and long kitchen knife. Lucy could've sworn she heard some girl's high-pitched voice go _'Wow!'_, but no one else reacted, so she stayed quiet.

"It's about lunchtime, so I'll start making lunch. Lucy! Juvia! Come with me!"

Lucy and Juvia followed Erza, without question, into the hall. Erza turned to them as if commanding her underlings, which wasn't too far off.

"Now, we can't take them out to eat because of Natsu; we have no other choice! We must prepare lunch ourselves!" she exclaimed while pumping a fist into the air.

"Erza, you know there's always delivery, right?" asked Lucy.

"No, Lucy! Do you really want to lose to delivery service?"

"Since when are we competing?"

"Think about it! Imagine a really hot girl delivers the food, develops a liking to Gray and Natsu, and tries to seduce them!"

"Oh! Juvia votes for home cooking!"

"Ugh! Wait a minute, how do you know I like Natsu?"

Erza put up three fingers.

"The answers are three-fold!" she shouted before proceeding to list them.

"One! It's obvious!" Lucy gawked as she blushed brightly. "Two! Juvia told me!" Lucy glared at the water mage who had become suddenly interested in a spot on the ceiling. "And three! You just said it!" Okay, she had a point there… Lucy sighed.

"Then it's settled!" decided Erza without waiting for an answer, "Lucy will cook for Natsu, Juvia for Gray, and I will handle the rest!"

"Yes!" Juvia cheered as if she had gotten Gray by pure luck, "Juvia will capture Gray's heart with her cooking!"

With that, Erza led them into the kitchen, where ingredients were spread out on a long table. She got out five plates, handed one to Lucy and Juvia, and kept three for herself. She scanned the ingredients, picked up a raw fish and set it on one of the plates. She then wiped her brow before looking at the other two. Juvia was picking ingredients rapidly while Lucy looked deep in thought.

"You two should step up the pace," Erza chided, "I've already finished with one of my dishes."

"Don't act like Happy's was difficult!" snapped Lucy. She sighed as she looked at Juvia, who obviously knew what she was making.

'_Geez, what does Natsu even like besides fire-food? I guess if I can't make one of his favorites, I'll make mine and pray that he likes it. Mom, I'm borrowing one of your recipes. Wish me luck!'_

* * *

><p>Juvia knocked on Gray's door, her heart pounding. When Gray opened the door (shirtless of course), his eyes went wide at the sight of the plate Juvia held.<p>

"C-caramade franks!" he exclaimed, "Where did you get those? I thought they were only made in Magnolia?" He barely remembered to give her space to come in.

"J-J-Juvia made them…" she answered softly as she placed the large plate of four caramade franks on the table and sat down with Gray.

"How did you get the recipe?" he asked incredulously, "The chef has been offered millions of jewels for it and hasn't even budged!"

"Well… Juvia made a Magic Vow that she would only serve them to one person, so he made an exception," Juvia explained, a blush growing across her face as she played with her hands in her lap.

Gray blushed brightly as he realized what that meant.

'_Whoa. Natsu may be right…'_

"Um… wow… thanks," he managed to say nervously before picking up a frank and taking a large bite. His eyes widened as he tasted it. He chewed it slowly before swallowing and turning to Juvia. "What did you do to this?"

Juvia's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no! Did Juvia mess up? Juvia is so sorry!"

"No! That's not it at all! It actually tastes better!"

"What?" Juvia asked in confusion. She was sure she followed the recipe to the letter.

"Here, taste!"

Gray held out the frank for her. Juvia's blush boomed back at the thought of sharing food with Gray.

"B-b-but… Juvia can only s-serve them to Gray! Not even to herself!"

"But it's okay if I serve it back to you, right?"

Juvia couldn't exactly find a reason that wouldn't work, so she gathered up her courage and took a bite. She then focused on finding out what was different. She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows in concentration. After she swallowed, she only looked more confused.

"Juvia does not understand. It tastes the exact same way Juvia remembers it," she said with a pout. Gray felt something weird in his chest as he looked at her face.

'_Damn. When did she get so cute?'_

"Gray?"

"Huh? Oh! Um, that's really weird!" he said loudly and took another bite. He concluded that he _did_ like these better, but couldn't tell why. He handed her an untouched one to eat and she took it hesitantly.

"H-hey, would you mind making these again sometime?" he asked. He watched her face, entranced as Juvia's eyes lit up and her lips beamed a beautiful smile.

"Juvia will make them whenever Gray wants!"

It was at that moment when Gray realized he was a fallen fairy. And damn, did he fall _hard_.

* * *

><p>Lucy took a deep breath outside Natsu's room. She was really tired and sweaty from cooking so much, but if she took the time to get a shower before serving him, the food would get cold. She had made a rather large bowl since fire was the only thing that seemed to fill Natsu up fast. She pushed the door open and Natsu looked at her.<p>

He grinned his wide grin and waved at her.

"Hey, Luce!"

"Hi. I guess Wendy healed your arm?"

"Yep! Both of them!" he proclaimed excitedly as he raised them to prove it.

"What's wrong with your body anyway?"

"Well, Wendy said that it looks like I've got internal burns, probably from trying to eat that fire. It seems that my insides, including my stomach, are a lot less resistant to flames than my skin. It hurts to move because my muscles have burns."

"I guess that makes sense. At least your arms are better. That'll save me the trouble of feeding you," sighed Lucy.

"Oh no! Lucy, my arms are suddenly hurting again!" whined Natsu in mock misery. Lucy held back the urge to giggle and decided to play along.

"Geez, you cause me so much trouble," she whined back, though she was very convincing in her act, "I guess I have no choice…"

Natsu stared at Lucy, amazed that she had fallen for it when he only meant it as a joke. He watched her place the large bowl she was carrying on the table by his bed when something caught his nose. It was Natsu's favorite smell that Lucy carried: her unaltered one, some combination of vanilla and cinnamon with a trace of ink, free from the perfume that stung his nose. But this time there was one difference. It was substantially stronger than usual. It wafted over him and he almost thought he was drowning. His heart began beating harder and his blood started racing. He didn't know why, but he liked this feeling he got from it.

"Hey Luce, what's that smell?" he asked, hoping she would know what he meant. Lucy blushed in embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry! I wanted to take a shower to wash it off, but if I did that, your food would get cold! I know it probably smells really bad, especially to you, but-"

"Bad? You kidding? You smell fantastic! You should smell like this more often!"

Lucy froze. She wasn't sure how she should react to that, so she went with speechless embarrassment and confusion. Natsu liked how she smelled when she sweats? She should sweat more often? How would she do that? Suddenly her imagination went into overdrive and she found herself picturing Natsu and her together, pressed up against each other hard, with her being trapped between him and her bed, both their backs bare, panting and sweating profusely, leaning in for a passionate kiss…

"_KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_"

Natsu nearly had a heart attack at Lucy's terrified scream. Lucy spun around to hide her face, which was as bright as a red firework that refused to go out.

'_Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Lucy, you idiot! You go for months without imagining things about him, and _**that's**_ the first picture you come up with?'_

"Lucy! Are you okay?" Natsu asked worriedly as he began to force himself out of bed.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Don't get up! Just give me a second, okay?"

Natsu lay back down hesitantly, not taking his eyes off her. After Lucy calmed down her racing heart, she turn to Natsu and smiled apologetically.

"Sheesh," scoffed Natsu, "You're such a weirdo Luce. You really had me worried for a while there."

"Sorry, sorry. I, uh… thought I saw a rat," she lied.

"You have a problem with mice? Didn't you grab onto that giant rat's toe on the mission at Galuna Island?"

"Did I? Oh. Well… perhaps it just didn't seem… ratty enough?"

There was a strange pause.

"Well, whatever. You're still a weirdo," said Natsu dismissively as Lucy sighed in relief, "Anyway, what did you bring to eat?"

"Ah! Right!"

Lucy hurried to the large bowl and took off the lid.

"I made my personal favorite: chili!"

"Chili? Don't like it."

Lucy stared at him in disbelief.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Well, I never really had it, and I don't intend to! It reminds me too much of that ice freak."

He looked back at Lucy and flinched. She practically oozed a dark aura as she slowly killed him with her glare.

"Natsu…" she said threateningly, "I worked long and hard on this. You are _going_ to eat it or so help me God, Wendy will have to heal your arms _again_. Got it?"

"Aye sir," squeaked Natsu. Immediately, Lucy's aura disappeared as she took a spoon that she'd brought with her and scooped some out the feed to Natsu. Natsu noticed it contained ground meat, red and brown beans, cooked tomatoes, soupy-sauce stuff that he guessed was a result of mixing it all together, and melted shredded cheese on top. He supposed it didn't look too bad, so he allowed her to put some in his mouth. As he tasted it, his eyes went wide and he sat up abruptly and flung his legs over the side of the bed, completely forgetting to even feel the pain.

"This is AWESOME!" he shouted before he grabbed the bowl and put it on his lap.

"Gimme!" he demanded as he reached for the spoon in Lucy's hand. Lucy, who was dumbfounded by the sudden reaction, carefully handed him the spoon and watched him dig in messily. A wide, proud smile graced her lips when it sunk in that he really liked it. When he nearly finished, he brought the bowl to his lips to pour what couldn't be easily scooped with the spoon.

"Whew! That hit the spot!" exclaimed Natsu as he brought the bowl back down.

"Pfff!" Lucy barely kept from bursting into laughter at the sight of Natsu's face. He had sauce all around his mouth, dripping from his forehead to down the side of his nose, and even dripping from one of his bangs.

"You really can't hold back, can you?" asked Lucy with a smile and tears gathering at the edge of her eyes as she brought out a cloth napkin she got from the kitchen and wiped his face. After that, Natsu just grinned widely and flopped back down on the bed, realizing that wasn't the smartest thing to do as pain shot down his body. After Lucy helped him get back to resting position, he looked to her.

"That was amazing, Luce!" he yelled with enthusiasm, causing her to blush, "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

At the question, Lucy's blush vanished and her eyes took on a melancholy look as she recalled distant memories.

"Well, this used to be Mama's best dish, my favorite that she would make just for me," she explained. Natsu listened closely as he realized this was a serious topic.

"When she passed away, I went for the longest time without having it. Eventually, I had a really bad day when I missed her so much that it tore me apart. So I looked for her recipe and practiced it everyday until I got it just right. The first time I got it to taste like Mama's I cried tears of joy. I felt like I had something to remember her by."

Lucy suddenly felt something wet fall down he cheeks and realized she was crying. She felt Natsu's hand brush them away before touching her cheek and looked at him.

"She must have been a wonderful mother, if she raised such an amazing daughter," said Natsu as he smiled kindly.

Lucy felt a hot feeling swell inside her chest, as she placed her handing on top of his, smiling back.

"Thank you, Natsu."

They looked into each other eyes, and for a while, they lost track of everything, everything except the person in front of them. Lucy blushed lightly under his gaze, her heart starting to beat faster… faster… faster…

The moment was ruined when a loud noise shattered the silence. Natsu stared at Lucy, who blushed in embarrassment.

"Lucy… was that… your stomach?"

Lucy looked away to prove his suspicions.

"Did you go without lunch?"

She blushed harder.

"Did you get so caught up in making this… that you forgot to feed yourself?"

'_Damn him! Why does he chose _this_ moment to be perceptive?'_ screamed Lucy mentally as she bit her lip. She felt Natsu ruffle her hair.

"You really are a big weirdo, Luce," said Natsu with his big grin. Lucy pouted.

"I'm only weird because you've rubbed off on me…" she muttered.

Natsu laughed slightly as he relaxed. Lucy watched as his breathing became steady.

"Natsu?" she called softly after a bit.

There was no answer, so she gently ran her fingers through his hair. She was startled when he leaned into her touch. She supposed it was because she had done it on the train that he'd gotten used to it. Really, his hair was so soft. How did it get so soft? It must be natural, because she'd eat all of her shoes if he happened to take actual effort in something as tedious as taking care of his hair. She looked at his face, completely peaceful. She really did love him. She loved him so much that she wanted nothing but to kiss him right there. But she couldn't, because what she wanted even more than that was for her first kiss to be mutual, a thing of shared feelings, not stolen in the other's sleep. So, she closed her eyes and kissed him softly on the cheek. She got up, turned around, and headed toward the kitchen for something to eat, unaware of the surprised eyes that watched her until she shut the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review! Even if you really don't want to! Even if only to congratulate me on my longest chapter ever! PLEASE REVIEW! G'night...<strong>


	7. A Problem Solved

**Disclaimer: Whoever told you I own Fairy Tail shall have their pants set aflame courtesy of Natsu.**

**Fairy Tail: The Dark Trials Arc**

Gray was startled awake by a sound at the door to his room. Someone jiggled doorknob, and after finding it locked, proceeded trying to pick it open.

'_Great, now what?'_ he thought as he quietly got up and waited beside the door, preparing to ambush the intruder. He got into his stance and spun to attack the moment he heard the door open.

"Ice Ma-mph!"

His battle cry was interrupted by a hand covering his mouth and forcing him to the floor.

"Be quiet, droopy-eyes! Do you want someone to hear you?" a familiar voice whispered.

"Natsu?" he asked quietly once the hand was removed, "What the hell are you doing breaking in just to visit?"

"You never objected to breaking in when we were visiting Lucy."

"Er, well… that's… what do you want?"

"I wanted to speak privately," he stated as he shut the door and walked over to Gray's bed to lie down. Despite having had Wendy heal his legs after dinner, it still hurt to move.

"About what we talked about _earlier_," he continued, "I think it's _possible_ that you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm always right, at least when arguing with _you_. What are you talking about anyway?"

"Lucy liking me, duh."

"Oh? And what happened that actually got you to realize this?"

"She… kissed me…"

The combination of Gray's surprise and disbelief rendered him speechless for a few moments.

"How… how can you only say _possible_ after that?"

"Well, it was only on the cheek, and she thought I was asleep…"

"_And_? It still makes it all the more obvious that she likes you!"

"There's still a chance I could be misinterpreting this! How do I know that she, if not ALL girls, doesn't go kissing all her friends on the cheek when they're asleep! Women're crazy creatures, man!"

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard out of your mouth, and that's saying a lot. Well, other than the last statement."

"Hey, have you ever experienced something that proves otherwise? Besides, Erza _bathed_ with us before, and she's only a friend!"

"Well, I suppose you have a point there, but I still say it's _absolutely_ obvious that Lucy likes you! It's baffling that you _only_ think that it's possible now! I think I can feel myself losing brain cells by just talking to you!"

"Oh? That's a surprise… I thought you lost them all a while ago."

"You wanna go?"

"And wake Erza _and_ Lucy up? I like my head where it is, thanks."

"Lucy isn't a problem. All you need to do is pucker up and she'll fall to pieces."

"Shut up. Anyway, I heard you were spending more time with Juvia."

"Y-yeah… um… I _may_ have fallen for her…"

"Really? How'd that happen?"

"Well…"

Gray filled him in on what happened at lunch.

"That settles it. She's completely head over heels for you."

"What? How do _you_ figure?"

"She said she made a Magic Vow, right?"

"Yeah, why? What do they do?"

"Man, how can you not know? If a person breaks a Magic Vow, their magic is sealed forever!"

"What? But why would she-?"

"Head over heels, dude. She's already decided to dedicate herself to you. Even if it's only to do something as simple as make you your favorite food."

"B-but there's a way to undo it, right?"

"Well, there's a popular theory that death undoes it, but no one has lived to confirm it."

Gray fell into silence as he took in this information. He was elated, but at the same time, terrified. Sure, he loved her. But was he willing to take the exact same measures for her happiness as she did for his? If he wasn't, then she would be…

"Typical of an ice mage. Getting cold feet as soon as things get serious…"

"Shut up! It'll be a huge risk if I get together with her now! If things don't work out-"

"She'll never make caramade franks again, big deal. Why are you thinking it's not going to work out before you even start? Stop thinking so much; that isn't how Fairy Tail mages do things. Roll with the punches like you always have."

"This coming from the guy who thinks Lucy goes around kissing all her friends in their sleep."

"She could! Besides, it's not like I took time to think that up! It just entered my head!"

"I guess I _am_ thinking too much about _my_ situation, but hear me out. Is it more likely that Lucy likes you, or that she has some weird kissing habit?"

"The latter, obviously."

Gray groaned.

"Okay, what's the deal? Why do you think it's so unlikely that she likes you?"

Natsu's expression grew solemn. When he spoke he was even quieter than they'd been speaking.

"Because she's just too… perfect. She's everything a guy could want. Me? I'm just a brute that knows how to destroy things. I don't know the first thing about being polite, and even less about how to be a good boyfriend. Why would the perfect girl like _me_? I'll tell you now: I love her. But it's because I love her that I want the absolute best guy for her, and I'm certain that that's not me."

Gray sighed as he realized that Natsu had _one_ thing he lacked confidence in.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Lucy yawned and rolled over in her bed. She allowed one eye to open, taking in a pair of eyes gazing at her intently before closing it again. Her brows furrowed as her waking brain began to catch up.<p>

'_Wait a minute…'_

Lucy let out a shrill scream before punching the intruder with all her might.

* * *

><p>Juvia blinked sleepily as she watched the exchange between her two friends.<p>

"I'm so sorry! I really thought you were some creepy stranger!" apologized Lucy frantically.

"It's no big deal. I'm the one who should have realized how you would have reacted," explained Erza calmly, as if her right eye wasn't currently black from Lucy's surprisingly strong punch. Lucy sighed in relief.

"Wait, what were you doing anyway?" the blonde mage asked.

"Every girl knows that it's customary to hold a sleepover after a plan of love has been carried out in order to discuss the results. I didn't want to wake you two up, so I slept on the ground, woke up before you, and waited for you to awaken as well."

'_She's that curious?'_ thought Lucy with a sigh.

"Juvia wishes to share first!" exclaimed Juvia with poorly suppressed excitement.

"Very well. Permission to share granted," responded Erza.

"Since when are sleepovers so formal?" murmured Lucy to herself.

"Juvia made caramade franks for Gray_-sa_—er, Gray! He was quite surprised and said he like them even more than the originals! Though, Juvia doesn't know why… They tasted just the same to Juvia… Anyway, Gray asked Juvia to make them for him again!" the water mage reported proudly.

"Excellent job! That's work worthy of an A!" congratulated Erza.

"W-wait a minute, we're getting graded?" asked Lucy. Seriously, her friends were the most bizarre people she'd ever met.

"Moving on! Lucy, give your report!" demanded Erza.

"Um… well, I made him chili, which he at first said he disliked because the name reminded him of Gray. I threatened him into eating it and he liked it so much that he actually ate it himself and made a mess on his face that I had to clean up. After that, he asked me where I learned to cook so well, and I told him it was my favorite that Mom used to make for me. I started crying from remembering her, but he cheered me up and said it takes a wonderful mother to raise an amazing daughter. (Lucy blushed happily at the memory.) Then he went to sleep and I kissed him on the cheek before leaving."

Lucy looked to her friends when she was finished to find them staring at her in awe.

"W-what?"

"Lucy_-san_ kissed Natsu_-san_?"

"On the cheek!"

"Lucy, this is serious," intervened Erza, "You watched him fall asleep, therefore he couldn't have been out long. What if he was still only half asleep?"

A spark of panic rose up inside Lucy before she snuffed it out.

"It's not that big a deal, you two. It's Natsu; he'd probably think it meant nothing."

"It's true, he can be incredibly dense sometimes, but-"

_ACHOO!_

This sound from outside the room was the only warning before their door started to open. With lightning reflexes, Lucy grabbed a bed sheet and wrapped it around her before charging at the door. She then planted her fist in Natsu's face just as he entered, sending him flying back out before she slammed the door shut.

"What was that for Lucy_-san_?" asked Juvia.

"In case you didn't notice, Juvia, I'm not exactly decent," said Lucy as she dropped the sheet to show the light pink undergarments she had slept in.

"I did. I also noticed the color," commented Erza with a smirk, "Very interesting choice."

Lucy looked away to hide her bright blush.

_BANG!_

"What's the big idea, Lucy?" yelled Natsu as he re-entered. He paused as he saw Lucy was wearing nothing but her bra and panties.

"Oh," he said as his mouth went dry like it always did when he saw her wearing next to nothing, which was quite often due to his unannounced visits to her home, "Umm… sorry about that. Just wanted to say that everyone else is ready to go get breakfast. Bye!"

With that, he tore down the hall to join the others.

"YOU'D BETTER RUN, NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

* * *

><p>Lucy sighed as she stepped off the train at the familiar station of Magnolia. After Natsu was fully healed, Erza recommended they stay four more days in case Ragnus returned. Fortunately, the days passed uneventfully. Unfortunately, without the 'capture' part of the mission completed, Erza would not accept even half payment for driving him away. It had taken another day to get back by train, leaving her with an impossible two days to get the 210,000 jewels she needed for rent. She figured she might as well go tell her landlord that she couldn't make the deadline ahead of time. She turned tell her friends she was going home, but a small, yet loud, <em>boom<em> interrupted her. She noticed a black scorch mark on the ground and heard the station manager yelling profanities. She looked around and saw Natsu and Happy speeding off through the sky, using Natsu's flames to propel them. Lucy realized they were headed toward their house, but wondered in annoyance what was so urgent that they couldn't say goodbye.

* * *

><p>Lucy sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that morning before she walked into her landlord's office, accepting her fate. She found the middle-aged brunette silently working on paperwork. She raised her head as she heard Lucy approach and smiled brightly.<p>

"Good morning, Lucy~," she sang. She probably believed she was about to be paid.

"Unfortunately it's not," said Lucy guiltily, hanging her head in shame, "I can't get you the money in two days. I don't even have 10,000 jewels. I'm really sorry…"

"Rent? Oh! You mean the one that was just paid off a few minutes ago?"

Lucy's head snapped up and she stared at the beaming woman in disbelief.

"What? How-? Who-?"

"He asked me not to tell you, but he doesn't know that my loyalty is only to my clients, not their boyfriends."

"What?" Lucy repeated, feeling her pride crack at her next admission, "But I don't have a boyfriend."

"Oh? Then I suggest this guy should be. After all, even if his hair is a bit strange, every woman knows that Fairy Tail's Salamander is quite the catch."

* * *

><p>Natsu sighed in satisfaction. He had just finished scarfing down lunch and was thinking about what he should do for the rest of the day when his partner sat down next him, facing forward with a huge grin on her face. Natsu couldn't help but smile too. Lucy always looked best with her bright smiles.<p>

"Yo, Luce! Something good happen?" he asked.

Lucy looked at him and possibly smiled even brighter.

"As a matter of fact, yes! I just found out that someone paid for my rent for the past three months!"

"Really? That's great! You're not homeless!"

Lucy laughed and he assumed it was something he said.

"Also," she continued, "I found out that it was a guy!"

Natsu twitched. The darn woman had let something slip.

"I bet it's someone close to me, someone in Fairy Tail."

Why did she have to be so smart?

"I bet it was Loke, or maybe Gray."

Okay, that hurt. When she fell silent, he looked at her to find that she was looking at him in deep thought. He swallowed. Had she figured him out?

"Nah, it couldn't be…" she muttered with finality as she looked away.

Natsu gaped as he tried to contain his rage.

'_What was _that_ supposed to mean? Geez, this conversation is ticking me off! Where's my freakin' karma, damn it?'_

Lucy, however, was enjoying herself. She was having difficulty not bursting into laughter. But then would have to explain that she knew what he did for her, and for whatever reason, he was trying to hide it.

She sighed and decided she should quit teasing him. She was extremely grateful, after all. She hadn't been this touched since he and Happy had put the sakura tree in a boat so she could see it when she was sick. He really could be sweet when it mattered most. She scooted closer to him and hugged him gently.

"What's this for?" asked Natsu, his irritation chased off by surprise.

"I'm happy and I want to hug someone. Why? Does it bother you?" Lucy asked with her cutest pouty-lip-puppy-eyes combo.

"Um… I-I guess not," stuttered Natsu as he tried not to look directly at her.

'_Karma, your tardiness is forgiven…'_ he thought.

Lucy smiled as she cuddled up to Natsu. Even though he was insanely dense, sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if all the things he did for her were truly only out of friendship.

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you think! Any predictions as to what happens next?<strong>


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